Improvement in machines for hulling- and scouring grain, rice, coffee



'L H; WHITNEY.

Grain Huiler."

Patented Sept. 20, 18701 Inventor: M

Witness es:

sir-ate meetin :Lc tters Pat ent No. 107,644, dated Septmabcr 20, 1870.

H m V IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINES FOR HUI-LING- .AND SCOURING- GRAIN, RICE, COFFEE, 8w.

Theschedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that LLEVI H. Wnrrnnr, of Washington, in the District of Columbia, have invented ceitain Improvements in Machines for Hulling and Securing Grain, Rice, Ooffee,'&c.; and I,do hereby,

declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had tothe an ncxcd drawing making part of this specification, in

which-- Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved ma chine.

a; a: of fig. 1. I p t FiguresB-and 4 are sectional views, showing modificd forms of the emery surfaces.

' The same letters are used in all the figures in the designation of identical parts.-

This invention relates to that class of machines which is used for hulling and securing grain, rice,

coffee, 850., andto thatdivision of such machines which operates upon the kernels bypercussion, as contradistinguished' from those which act by attrition.

My improvement consists in the employment of two hollowbodies of hemispherical or an equivalent form-,- arranged to revolve one within the other, on vertical shafts, and provided with a' coat of emery upon the surfaces in juxtaposition, between which the grain or other substance is introduced from a hopper above,

and discharged at the lower open end, after having been subjected to the scouring action of the emery surfaces; and secondly, in themeans for regulating the space between the emerysurfaces to adapt the machine for opcration upon various substances, all as will be more specifically pointed out in the snbjoined description and claims.

To enable those skilled in the art to make and use my invention, Iwillprocccd to describe its construction and operation. p p

'The frame of the machine should be substantially :made of wood or iron, 'and must be fashioned to adapt it to the particular place where it is to be employed.

Theframe, shown in the annexed drawing'and' markedA, is provided at one end with a horizontal transverse. shaft upon which the driving-pulley B is mounted.

From this motion is communicated through inter- 3 mediate pulleys and belts, respectively, to the hollow shaft G, and the shaft D passing through the former,

1 both being arranged in'vertical position-in bearings on the frame. 7 v

i The hollow shaft 0 terminates at its upper end in a funnel-shaped mouth, into which the grain or other substance to be operated upon is fed from a suitable "hopper, or directlyfrom the thrashing-machine, as the ase may he, bymeans of a spout, 0'.

Figure 2 is a transverse vertical section on the line The hollow hemispherical bodies, or wheels E and 1* are arranged one within the other, the former being secured to the lower end of the shaft 0, and provided with a suitable aperture, corresponding with the bore of the shaft, for the admission of the grain between them, while the latter is firmly fastened upon the shaft D Those surfaces of the wheels which are in juxtaposition are provided with acoat of suitable thickness of emery, which is spread upon a base of wood or a leather, riveted or cemented to the wheels, where the latter are made of boiler-iron. In working machines this latter material will be mostly employed for the wheels, struck up to the desired form in dies.

The arrangement of the driving mechanism is such as to impart a very rapid motion to the shaft D and wheel F in one direction, and a slow motion to the shaft 0 and wheel 'E in the opposite direction.

The relative speed of the wheels must be governed bythe material upon which they are to act, and the work to be done.

The relative sizes of the wheels will be such that, when they are arranged concentrically, as shown in the drawing, thespace between them will be one inch, more or less; but to adapt the machine for varying work, I arrangethe'outer wheel so as to he adjustable vertically. To this end its shaft is securedto a cross- .head G, the ends of which slide between vertical ways of the frame, and which is provided with a tapped plate g,.near each end, for the reception of screwthrcaded spindles H H. These latter rest in steps upon cross-bars of the frame, and near their upper ends in hearings, in the manner shown. .By turning 3 these spindles in one direction or the other, the outer wheel E is raised or lowered, and thus the space hc- The wheels and their shaft should be so arranged in their bearings that theymay be readily removed for repairs.

In operating the machine, the grain is fed through the hollow shaft, and, falling upon the inner wheel, is instantly thrown forcibly against the rough, gritty emery surface of the outer one, from which it is immediately returned to the inner one, to be again thrown outward by the centrifugal force. developed by the rapid revolution of the said inner wheel; and thus it is constantly thrown back and forth, gradually working its way down to the lower end to be discharged, not only hulled but also freed from any smut or chitwhich may cover the cuticle of the kernel.

A suitable winnowing apparatus is to be used in connection with this machine to separate the grain,

hulls, and dust as they leave the wheels.

Wheneverthe emery surfaces of the wheels become too smooth by wear to do. good work another coat should he applied.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to seciire by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination,in' a machine for scouring grain, of the convex wheel E and concave wheel F, when the same are coated with emery and made to revolve in opposite directions, as and for the purpose described.

Witnesses:

EDM. F. Bnowx, E. M. BROWN. 

